The Dutch migrant community that developed around Penguin on Tasmania’s north-west coast during the years following the Second World War played an important role in the wider history of Dutch settlement in Tasmania. The community provided accommodation, employment contacts, religious fellowship and practical assistance to newly arrived migrants. Some families Read more
Introduction Dutch settlement in Ulverstone and the surrounding districts of Tasmania’s north-west coast developed significantly during the years following the Second World War. Families arriving from the Netherlands established new lives through employment in agriculture, construction, retailing and other local industries. Many encountered difficulties with language, housing and recognition of Read more
7 Mar 1926 – 10Jul 2017 Elly with her brothers Reg and Max In May 1950, a group of 10 men, and their wives, met in the residence of Eerke van der Laan in the city of Groningen. They had met several times before, and during the war years had Read more
We praise God for the life and witness ofBart Jan Folkerts18 September 1911 to 24 October 1999 An Association [Christian Parent-Controlled Schools] Founder and Gold Member“Now with the Lord he loved and served … a man of strength,courage and determination, a fighter for what he believed in.” “My Grace is Read more
George Huizing 8/9/1938 – 27/12/2016 A newspaper clipping on my desk reminds of the last time I saw George. The clipping concerns a lost property title, in the parish of Lorainah. Property belonging to JKF von Schmidt. I quickly dropped an email to the owner – “where is Lorainah?” JKF, Read more
50 years of silence ‘How can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn’t tell them face to face . . . so I decided to write it down.’ Jan Ruff O’Herne’s Read more
This is information returned by Robert based on the questionnaire for the associated research projects titled: ‘Footsteps of the Dutch in Australia’; ‘Dutch Contact and Resettlement in Western Australia’; ‘The Evacuation Movement out of the Netherlands East Indies into Australia of Dutch Refugees during and after World War II’, and Read more
This article was created with the permission of, and with information made available by, Mr. Bijvoet’s grandchildren, Dr. Shanti Wong and Mr. Mark Wardle. Cornelis Bijvoet (1890–1964) was a Dutch marine engineer whose career encompassed passenger-ship construction, wartime service in the merchant marine and the post-war conversion of military transports Read more
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about the same time as Macarthur, as an evacuee from the Read more
Introduction The following are 29 letters, written by one of the first Dutch migrants to Tasmania, who settled in Penguin in 1949. He composed these letters as reports for his cohort still in the Netherlands, encouraging them to prepare for their eventual migration and urging them to act quickly. It Read more